ACTUAL COLUMN AND PHOTO THAT WENT OUT TO "SHOPPER" AND "ADVERTISER," TYPE NEWSPAPERS ON MAY 2, 2006
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HARVICK TO STAY AT RCR
By Gerald Hodges/the Racing Reporter
CONCORD, N.C.--It appears Kevin Harvick and car owner Richard Childress have reached an agreement that will keep the driver of the No. 29 Nextel Cup Chevrolet at Richard Childress Racing for several more years.
According to the Charlotte (N.C.) Observer, the two have reached a tentative agreement that will be announced at a news conference on Friday at Richmond.
It had been speculated that Harvick, who spent Tuesday testing at Lowe's Motor Speedway, might jump teams and drive for Toyota in 2007.
Harvick said after his Phoenix win, April 22, he wanted to remain at RCR, with which he has a seven-year relationship driving in the Busch and Cup series, and that he'd like to have a deal by Richmond.
“There’s a seven-year relationship here,” said Harvick. “I have a lot of friends on this race team. We’ve won championships in the Busch car, and we’ve won races in the Busch and Cup cars. We’ve done everything we want to do except win a Cup championship.
“That’s what I want to happen….I think that will happen, but we just have to get all the people in one room.”
Childress was on an African Safari for almost two weeks, and just returned to RCR racing shops last week.
“It’s not a matter of not wanting to sit down and do it,” continued Harvick. “It’s just a matter of everybody hasn’t been home.”
Owner Richard Childress told reporters at Talladega that he hoped to have a deal within two weeks, possibly within a week.
THIRTY YEARS OF RACING FOR STERLING MARLIN
When Sterling Marlin takes the green flag for Saturday night's Nextel Cup race at Richmond International Raceway it will be just two days shy of the 30-year anniversary of his first NASCAR Cup start.
Marlin made his NASCAR Cup debut on May 8, 1976 at Nashville Speedway, substituting for his father, Clifton “Coo Coo” Marlin, who sustained a shoulder injury during an ARCA qualifying session at Talladega Superspeedway the week before.
“I hadn’t really thought about this being my 30-year anniversary to be honest, but I guess that’s about right,” said Marlin, a two-time Daytona 500 champion. “I’m amazed I’m still around and that I’ve been running that long. When you’ve been messing with race cars like I’ve been doing since I was 12 or 13-years-old, time flies. Racing is my life and I’m still having a blast.
“It’s amazing how much has changed. There’s just so much that’s different now than even 10 or 15 years ago. It’s phenomenal to see how many fans are at each event—camping out and sitting up in the stands. I remember when Bristol was just two grandstands on each side. I don’t think any of us could’ve foreseen the popularity that was going to come to this sport.
“The 70s and 80s were more laid back – it was a lot simpler then. You were just there to race. It wasn’t the rushing or the panic mode that everyone seems to be in now. It comes with the territory, and I’m not complaining, it’s just a big change.”
To date, his career statistics include 10 wins, 83 top fives, 215 top 10s, 11 pole positions and earnings of more than $37 million.
VICKERS STILL LOOKING FOR FIRST WIN
Brian Vickers came up one lap short at Talladega in his bid for his first Nextel Cup win.
Despite having led seven laps and running in the top-10 all day, Vickers was beaten by teammate Jimmie Johnson, who dove low to pass Vickers in the tri-oval heading to the white flag in Monday’s Aaron’s 499.
With Vickers keeping both eyes focused on the rearview mirror, he saw Johnson move his Chevrolet high, and he guessed that Johnson would remain high.
It didn’t happen. Johnson went low and Vickers finished third.
“At 200 mph, when someone has a run like that, it is a split-second decision,” Vickers said. “You have got to read their mind. If you check up and they drill you, you are still in trouble. It is tough but you make your decisions at the time for a reason.
"It is easy for me to say, 'Jimmie, why did you pass me,' but I can't hold a grudge. If he didn't try, I wouldn't have respected that. If they help me, great, but if not, I am not going to hold it against them.”
At the age of twenty two, he already is a veteran of 86 Nextel Cup starts. The closest Vickers has come to victory was last June at Pocono, when he led 121 laps before fading to a second-place finish.
THE 2006 NEXTEL CUP ROOKIE CONTENDERS
There are seven drivers contending for Raybestos Rookie of the Year in the Nextel Cup Series. Prior to this weekend’s race at Talladega, Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 7 Jack Daniels, Richard Childress Chevrolet was the leader with 85 points.
Bowyer’s home town is Emporia, Kansas, and he earned two wins in the Busch Series while driving the RCR AC Delco No. 2.
He made his cup debut April 23, 2005 at Phoenix. Bowyer has earned two Rookie of the Race awards in 2006, with an average finish of 17.1.
Denny Hamlin, driver of Joe Gibbs No. 11 is second with 77 points. He hails from Chesterfield, Virginia. His average finish in 2006 is 21.5.
Martin Truex Jr., the 2005 Busch Series champion was tabbed as the top rookie in the preseason poll. Despite six Busch wins in 2005, Truex has yet to win a Cup race, and is third in rookie points with 74.
J. J. Yeley of Phoenix, Arizona is in his first full season of NASCAR competition. He finished 11th last season in the No. 18 Vigoro/Home Depot Busch Series Chevrolet of Joe Gibbs Racing.
Yeley is fourth with 70 rookie of the year points.
Reed Sorenson of Peachtree City, Georgia burst on to the Busch spotlight last season by winning his first race in only his 11th start.
Sorenson was selected by Chip Ganassi Racing in July to drive the No. 41 Target Dodge. He has 66 points, and is fifth.
David Stremme, former Busch Series driver, who is now behind the wheel of the No. 40 Chip Ganassi Dodge, is sixth with 55 points.
“I was never pushed into racing,” said Stremme. “I worked on the cars for my mom and dad and then started competing locally against them. I ran more against my mom than my dad. The first year she beat me a lot, but the second year, I beat her.”
Stremme is from South Bend, Indiana.
Brent Sherman, driver of the No. 49 BAM Racing Dodge is seventh with 38 points. The St. Paul, Minnesota driver was an Air Force Surveillance Technician, who enforced no-fly zones around the globe while in the U.S. Air Force.
Racing Trivia Question: What are the names of the two brothers from Las Vegas that run in the Nextel Cup Series?
Last Week’s Question: Who will take over the NASCAR TV schedule in 2007? Answer. It will be ABC and ESPN.
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